Gomeroi man Raymond 'Bubbly' Weatherall and Liverpool Plains farmer Helen Strang were among the hundreds of people in Sydney who turned up to protest coal seam gas (CSG) mining.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The two were among the throng of members from a range of groups, including Lock the Gate, Unions NSW, NSW Farmers, Gomeroi nation, and Country Women's Association, who marched from Circular Quay to Parliament House via mining giant Santos' office on Pitt Street, on Thursday September 14.
They held placards and chanted 'city and country united we stand to protect our water and to protect our land' as the group moved through the CBD, with Ms Strang saying it was a "fantastic rally".
"We got that many people to a rally on a Thursday morning during the week to Sydney, when most people have to stay at home," Ms Strang said.
Read also:
Ms Strang said she is very concerned about Santos' mining for CSG in the Liverpool Plains where many small towns in the region draw their water supply from underground aquifers.
"Once you scramble an egg, you can't unscramble it," Ms Strang said.
"Because it's been proven by scientific research that the aquifers would be affected [by CSG mining]."
Mr Weatherall said the protest groups handed a letter to a representative from Santos along the march to MacQuarie Street, saying "we just wanted to let them know our feelings in writing".
"We know there are many things detrimental about coal seam gas," Mr Weatherall said.
"And putting the Great Artesian Basin - which covers three states and a territory - under threat will have a flow-on effect across the whole country."
A Santos spokesperson responded in a statement, saying "the cheapest gas will always be the gas closest to your door - the Narrabri Gas Project is 100 per cent committed to the domestic market and is expected to supply New South Wales manufacturers, businesses, electricity generators and households with up to 50 per cent of the state's natural gas needs."
"The world needs gas for electricity generation, for manufacturing, for agriculture and many other everyday products," the spokesperson said.
"Australian farmers feed the nation and are also important food producers for other countries through agricultural exports."
"Ammonia-based fertilisers produced from gas are a critical input. When gas prices go up, fertiliser prices go up and in turn so do food prices.
"And if farmers use less fertiliser to reduce their costs, crop yields go down, not only resulting in higher prices but also food shortages.
"The same types of flow-on effects from gas scarcity apply to housing. When gas prices go up, brick, cement and steel prices go up and in turn so does the cost of constructing new houses."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News